Who was removed from Trump’s address to Congress?

Most presidents wait a year before attempting to justify their accomplishments to Congress, but not Donald J. Trump. The first address of his second term wasn’t technically a State of the Union, but it sure seemed like one, and it left many Americans unsure of how to feel.

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s speech was stacked to the gills with falsehoods, massive exaggerations, and petty jabs, but he must have increased his speech writer budget. Its final minutes — which came nearly two hours in — were almost presidential (if not for the Trump of it all), but the time that led up to it was rife with petty asides. The president even seemed to be goading the Democratic Congresspeople at several points, and at least once he got the reaction he was looking for.

That came nice and early in the speech, when several disruptions urged Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson to admonish his peers. He even went so far as to have one removed from the chamber, but — as most cameras were fixated on the president — many viewers were at a loss regarding his identity. Thankfully our disruptive hero was soon revealed, and he’s quickly becoming a superstar among Democrat viewers.

Who was removed from Trump’s address?

Trump claims he “brought free speech back” after removing a man from exercising his free speech.#StateOfTheUnion pic.twitter.com/pf4Q43m8Ge

— David Leavitt 🎲🎮🧙‍♂️🌈 (@David_Leavitt) March 5, 2025

He was by no means alone in protesting Trump, but Texas Representative Al Green was certainly the most obvious. Several key Democratic figures — including Jasmine Crockett and Maxwell Frost — staged much quieter protests, exiting the chamber early in Trump’s speech while flaunting targeted messaging (“no kings live here” hit home), but it was Green’s public removal from the chamber that generated the most chatter.

Green was removed after disrupting the president’s speech, when he stood and shook his cane at the rambling statesman. The 77-year-old was responding to Trump’s assertion that his 2024 victory was a “mandate,” and he later addressed reporters regarding his swift removal.

He told NBC News that as “a person of conscience,” he feels Trump “has done things that I think we cannot allow to continue.”

Why was Al Green removed from Trump’s address to Congress?

This is a powerful photo. Everyone in the Democratic Party should have gotten up and walked out of the chamber in solidarity when Al Green was escorted out. pic.twitter.com/XuTLTSzwvp

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) March 5, 2025

It’s by no means unusual to see disagreements in Congress, even in response to a presidential address, which made Green’s swift removal the strangest part of last night’s brief stand-off. Congress is a space for discourse and dispute, not for silencing detractors, but Green was given very little leeway before he was forcibly ejected from the chamber.

His removal came about because Green interrupted Trump’s speech, and refused to be silenced by admonishment from Speaker Johnson. His act of defiance by no means broke the rules, but it did get in the way of decorum Johnson keenly wanted displayed, and we all know how well Trump takes criticism.

So Green became one of the first Congressional leaders in quite some time to be swiftly and severely punished for exercising his freedom of speech. All because he spoke up, shook his cane, and refused to take a seat.

What did Al Green say when being removed from Trump’s speech?

U.S. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) after being ejected from President Trump's address:

"I'll accept the punishment, but it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security." pic.twitter.com/qBNK6f9qag

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) March 5, 2025

As he was being removed from the chamber, Green continued to push back on Trump’s “mandate” language, which he later expanded upon. He explained that “This whole budget that he has is one that is going to cause Medicaid to be cut, and when he said he had a mandate, it triggered something.” He explained that Trump “doesn’t have a mandate, and he doesn’t have a mandate to cut health care from poor people.”

Green has been a vocal and consistent opponent of Trump from the start, and his multiple impeachment efforts have positioned him in clear opposition to the president. His views on healthcare likewise deepen the divide, believe as Green does that in the United States, “health care is about to become wealth care, and we can’t let that happen.”